EmpressC

I've gotten GREAT response with BCN's Aloe Body Wash base. It gets thin when FO is added, but it lathers wonderfully and leaves a great feel on the skin. AND the price isn't bad at all. So for me, it's a great choice.

Thanx, but even on sale it is more expensive than other places. I really need some ASAP and ordering online from anywhere will take more time than I have. But oh well, what's a girl to do? :-/

Does anyone know if FCO is sold locally anywhere? Say, Walmart for example. I am running really low and need some more yesterday! Thanx.

It's interesting that people are appalled by milk from a human, but not from a cow or goat (different species). I've never tried "breast milk" soap, but it really doesn't seem all that odd to me either. I would think as long as you make people aware of what's in it, go for it! Why let it go to waste?

Well we've already heard tons of rave reviews about the molds, so let us know how you like the beveler!

Congrats on your first try. I don't know ANYTHING about liquid soap but I do hope to make it...one day.

Ditto to everything SoapyOne just wrote!

Thanx for the advice from all. Definitely a lot to consider.

The CB base is harder than most other SFIC bases, so I agree that you should omit the beeswax. Also, for 8oz of base, .8oz of CB seems a bit high. As a general rule, you shouldnt use more than .5oz additives per pound, so you might want to drop the CB amount a bit. Personally, I've found the CB base by itself is just fine. Did you try the soap without additives first? You might find that you like it as is. If not, then adding any of the following would bring back the lather: NOTE: these are what worked for ME, there are other things that people suggest but they may not have worked for me: * Dr. Bronner's liquid soap * SLSA Others might suggest: * castor oil * glycerin * sugar They didn't work for me as I like a LOT of bubbles. But try them all and see what works for your formulation.

Sigh... SO nice! And ya know, it wasn't nearly as scary as I had imagined. LOL!

I read a couple of threads on this topic but they were from last year, so I am wondering is anyone considering doing anything at the mall? I am seriously considering this as I have the time (and hopefully the energy), will just depend on if I can get a loan in order to buy enough supplies. BruceCarvesWax's name came up in the other posts that he does this every year. Does anyone else? Is it worth it? I am still somewhat a newbie, but like I said I have the time to devote to making products 24/7 from now until November. I figure that way I could focus on selling and wouldn't have to hire help but maybe have family step in from time to time. I know it would be A LOT of work but I think it would be worth it. Any ideas/advice/caveats? Thanx.

Everyone kept asking. It seemed like a good brand name at the time. Hopefully it'll catch on. Most people assume it's my initials. LOL! I was very surprised that the Egyptian Musk sold so well! I didn't think it would and so I didn't make much in that scent, but it sold quite well! That and the mango peach. As for the sun, only a little of the product got some sun and only for a short while. However, I did notice that the soaps seemed to change color a bit so I moved them out of the sun when I saw what was happening. Not too much of a problem as I saw it early on. It was a nice day, not too hot so everything was ok. Thank you!

Oh and before anyone asks what "KA" means, KA is an ancient Egyptian word that means "Soul".

OK, let's try this again...

That's odd that some people can see the pics in the link and some can't. Darn imageshack! Let me see if I can post links to the indiv photos...

Ditto!!! I just used mine for the first time and it was...WOW! I have never had a soap feel like this. I gave out samples and am waiting for feedback, but I must say I thought it was fabulous. These were from my first try with GM and silk and I remember that I couldn't get the silk to melt so I ended up scooping it back out and tossing the sludge. However, this bar STILL feels so silky! I am in love with this recipe. Now if I could just make soap that isn't fugly...

Thank you ALL for your kind comments! I will definitely remember to have biz cards on display. That's a great idea! You can find those risers here: http://www.gershelbros.com/page80.html I used the 4-step risers. They are easy to assemble and they really do bring the products up to eye level almost. Also, you can display a LOT more.

Hi SpaceGirl, yep I put a biz card in EVERY bag and gave to people who didn't buy but asked for one. Not sure why the link isn't working. It does take a minute before the pics actually display. I guess I would suggest you try again and either click on the blank space (to activate the control) or just be patient. It works for me, so I'm thinking it should work for everyone...hopefully. I tried posting here, but most of the photos were over the size limit of this forum.

Hi all, I just completed my first craft fair yesterday! While I was exhausted by the end of it, and still sore today, I must say I am so glad I did it! I was the only B&B'er there. I make candles also, but didn't make any for this fair. It's too bad cuz I think they would have been a huge success. I made my booth fee x 9, so that's pretty good, no? Several crafters came around and told me how they hadn't gotten ANY sales, but said that they could tell from the looks of my stuff that I was doing well. This boosted my confidence because I was thinking I wasn't selling much at all. It wasn't until the end, when I counted my sales that I realized how much better I did that I originally thought! Too bad for the jewelers who I saw in every direction I looked. Things I learned: 1) Have samples. I meant to have these but just didn't have time to get them ready. There were people who wanted to sample the lotion or body butter or spray. 2) Take EVERYTHING. Cuz you never know what people will want. I even had a customer ask me if I had anything with lavender in it. I make a wonderful lavender soap that she would have loved. Please tell me why I left it sitting at home thinking, "These folks won't be interested in anything with EOs." 3) Be polite to everyone. Many people looked and left and when they came back, I remembered them. That seemed to make them feel good, and they bought product! 4) Find an "old-timer." I was lucky enough to be next to a crafter who is a veteran. She gave me a lot of good info on things I would have never thought about. 5) Be gracious. I got help in unlikely places. 6) Be open. I hesitantly/cautiously/nervously went to a show where there was nothing like me or my products anywhere in sight. And I did better than most folks! It's good to try new things! :D Anyhoo, here are pics from my show. I meant to get a wider shot of my entire booth but forgot. Let me know what you think. Advice and suggestions are welcome! http://img208.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img208/1083/11888326304ea.smil Thanx for looking!

I've had the pleasure of receiving some of PA's soap. She sent it naked, wrapped with raffia and a hang tag. It looked really nice. Certainly something I'd buy as the presentation was very nice. Now, I do wrap mine mostly because it's the simplest thing to do (although the clamshells sound like a nice, quick idea too). But I must say that PA's gave a good "natural" presentation. I could see how people would be apt to buy naked in that fashion. As many others have said, to each their own.

Oh lord! I have several soaps curing with 30% SAO.

I wish I had come back and re-read this thread before using my TD. I added way too much and added to the oils before adding the lye. As soon as I turned on the stick blender, it began to trace. I set a bit aside cuz this was going to be my first attempt at swirling. I added my green dye from BCN and for some odd reason this dye just sort of beaded up and didn't really add any color. I'm not sure why since I've used it in CP in the past and it blended just fine. Could the TD have been the problem??? Sigh... Well, I put it to bed in the fridge. Who knows what it will turn out to be though. Waaaaahhhh!!!!! :awww:

I typically use .5 oz cyclo, .5 oz fco, 3 oz cyclo. The fco does not make it greasy at all, but it is good to use because some FOs will not mix/blend completely with the cyclo without it. This isn't the case with all FOs, but for consistency's sake, I use the same formula all the time. HTH.

Oops, Jadryga beat me to it...and was way more informative.